Posted a quick fix. I can rework it tonight if you all prefer. Really wanted to get it going quick so you all didn't have to hold on me to post.
^ Goes ditto for me.
I hope I don’t come off as overbearing or anything if I catch something that seems off. Tone is difficult sometimes to convey in text. So I hope that anything I mention on the meta is coming across as respectfully as it can.
Have a safe trip on the road tomorrow Lareg. I look forward to the Sunday update. From what I’ve heard this group is pretty good at filling time role playing.
The book on Auburphex, did it reveal much that might be relevant to our current dragon, or white dragons in general that Selena might use to avoid a fight, or might inquire of the dragon to get info?
Thanks all.
I think so far you all surmise that the dragon will have cold attacks and possibly be vulnerable to fire. I'll need to back track on the book to see what more it might add.
Posting should return to normal for today and Tuesday. Further family stuff coming up mid week so posting will slow a bit on my end Wednesday / Thursday.
I’ll wait till we get Sakitu and Selena to take their full round of actions before posting since things can certainly change by the time R1 comes up.
On the dragon I chose to prepare Shadow Trap instead of produce flame to try and keep the guy on the ground.
As for negotiations it might be a good tactic to remind him of how powerful Baba Yaga is and what has happened every single time one of her daughters tried to rise up against her.
Out of character wise, I believe Auburphex the dragon that formerly inhabited the pale tower that Nazhena’s mother killed. So perhaps pointing out that the witches like so subjugate and kill dragons and are much more likely to replace him with a construct that can’t disobey and kill him to avoid the eventuality of him becoming too old and powerful since dragons get stronger the older they get. Convincing him to ally with the iron guard could be in his best interest if presented that way.
But in all honesty that might have a better chance of success on a blue or green dragon. Lawful evil is easier to work with. Chaotic evil throws a wrench in the works of being unable to trust or predict what it’ll do. Plus not to mention this thing is probably super evil and responsible for countless atrocities.
PCs are up now. I had to do a bit of looking to figure out some mechanics for the troll's actions.
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*****
Six years ago, back in Varisia
“I suppose you’ll want a head start.”
“I don’t need a head start! Ready… go!” Mina leapt up and grabbed the branch, then pulled herself up and threw her leg over it. As she twisted and straightened herself to stand and go for the next branch, she could hear and feel the fabric of her skirts tearing, but she ignored it, quickly brushing her long hair out of her eyes and giggling breathlessly with excitement.
But he was faster. Minutes later he was sitting up on the finish branch, his back against the trunk, and his legs crossed at the ankles. She ended by swinging around the trunk and plopping down on his lap roughly, nearly causing him to lose his balance and send them both hurtling back to earth. Nearly but not quite.
“Hey, watch it!” he laughed. She grasped a smaller branch overhead and put her nose up close to his. “You should be more careful how you sit.” she riposted teasingly. She stared hard at him, daring him to kiss her, a smirk fixed on her lips. He started…
“Mina!”
They both pulled back. “Uh-oh…” he said with a slight roll of his eyes.
“Ugh! She has the worst timing.” She sat silently for a moment, then glanced around as if looking for spies in the branches with them, then turned back to him and grabbed his shirt and leaned in to whisper intensely “Ignore her.”
“You’ll get whipped. You’d better go.”
“I don’t want to. She treats me like a slave. When are we going to run away, like we talked about? I can’t take this any more!”
“Just see what she wants. Maybe it’ll be quick, and then you can come back.”
“No!” she said, with a sudden fury that startled him a bit. “She’ll never find us up here! Come on, quick, kiss me.”
“Mina, I don’t want you to…” And then she took it out of his hands, and lunged in to kiss him. Their teeth knocked. It hurt. But she kept kissing him savagely, their noses smashing together. Neither of them enjoyed it, but it felt good to her all the same. Her heart raced. He broke it off. “You’re crazy!” he hissed.
She grinned broadly at him. “You’re just now figuring that out? Poor Braden.” She snapped her teeth at him, like she wanted to bite his nose.
He pursed his lips tight, then just blurted it out. “Tonight. Let’s go tonight. We’ll make for Kintargo. Can you get any money?”
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “You mean it?”
He nodded wildly. “I mean it. I want us to be together forever. I’m sick of this place too. We can get married.”
“Braden…” she gasped in shock, then laughed suddenly and threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly sending them out of the tree again. Nearly. He laughed too and caught onto another branch to steady himself. “But you need to go now, so you don’t get in trouble. Can you get money?” he asked again.
“Yeah, I think so. I know where he keeps it.”
“Your dad you mean?”
“He’s not my dad.”
“No, right, I know…” he said, knowing that was a subject best left well alone. “Sorry.”
She shrugged. She wasn’t really paying attention. She stared past him, gnawing her lip, plotting.
“Mina!” came the call again. She snapped out of it. “Where? When?” she asked him.
“Here. Tonight, an hour after sundown, when you’d normally go to bed. Can you be ready by then?”
She nodded furiously, then dove in for another quick peck on the lips, then began to shinny quickly down the tree. She got to the bottom, waved at him, then ran off toward the wagon. “Coming mother!”
Minutes later she was cradling her red cheek under her palm. “Look at you! You were climbing that tree with that boy again, weren’t you my little wildcat? Have some respect for yourself, girl! Your skirt is torn to rags! Well, that’s just fine! I’d tell you to change into decent clean clothes, but you haven’t done the washing like I told you to do hours ago! When your father gets home—“
“He’s not my father!”
She was slapped again. Normally that would have ended things, but she felt free and exhilarated, knowing it would soon be over. “Go ahead! Hit me again! It doesn’t make it true! He’s just the man you ran off with!”
Her mother grabbed her by the hair, causing her to shriek in pain. “That’s enough!”
But it was all coming out now. “Oh, have some respect for yourself MOTHER! What would the neighbors say if they knew you ran away from your real husband with this greasy skunk of a gypsy! Save your lectures you hypocritical cow! I HATE you!”
Her mother yanked her hair back hard, then shoved her to the wall and put a hand hard over Mina’s mouth. “I said, that’s ENOUGH!” she screamed. Their eyes lanced at each other with hatred. Mina’s breath was fast and rough and muffled under the press of her mother’s hand. She could feel that her mother’s palm was sweating. “You don’t speak to me that way. I’m your mother. I gave you life, and by all the heavens, I can do with you as I please. You’re going to do all the washing, and then you are going to mend that skirt, and you are never to see that boy again. You hear me?”
Mina struggled. She brought up her hands to try and push her mother’s arm away. It was getting hard to breathe. “No!” she blurted from under the hand.
“How dare you? How dare you?!” said her mother indignantly. “I saved you! I saved you from that drunken lout. What sort of life would you have had with him? A one-armed drunk who couldn’t do a thing for himself. I am so tired of you idolizing that worthless piece of trash! He was a loser Mina, and we would have starved if we stayed there! He’s probably dead, or back in jail. I only wish I could have gotten your brothers away too.”
At this she released Mina roughly. The girl had tears of anger and pain rolling out of her eyes now, and she drew a sleeve across her snuffling nose, edging away.
“I didn’t ask for any of this!” she blurted, petulantly. “I didn’t ask you to ‘save’ me! Why didn’t you just leave me? You don’t even want me here! You hate me! I’m just the life you left behind, aren’t I? You can’t even stand the sight of me!”
Her mother wheeled around toward her. Mina stood up straight, bracing for a new blow, welcoming it. “Go on! Hit me again! Prove how much you hate me!”
Her mother looked at her coldly. This was always worse than the rages — the way she’d suddenly just shut off emotionally. “Never mind that. Just do as you’re told. And you’re not getting any supper until you’re finished.”
“Fine!” shouted Mina defiantly. Her mother crossed her arms, relaxed, almost serene, then launched a new assault.
“You may as well know. You’re going to be married. Next month in fact. Gallen has a friend; a tinker actually. We owe him money. He’s agreed to marry you and forget our debt. You’re sixteen now, it’s time you were married. I think you met him once, about six months ago. His name is Gresham. He thought you were pretty. You’ll like him - he drinks too. And he’s about your father’s age. Your real father. So you see, we won’t have to put up with each other for too much longer. Ungrateful little slut.”
Mina melted back into the wall, shocked and horrified. “You can’t! You can’t do that to me! I won’t let you!”
Again the cold stare. “Fix your dress.” was her only answer.
There was nothing else to do. Minutes later she was sitting in her linen shift, boiling water in the iron wash-pot, and plying a needle through her torn skirts. The late afternoon sun bathed her shoulders, and though the anger was racing about inside her still, it was not physically unpleasant to sit there and work quietly. Naturally the gypsy had to ruin even that.
“Such a mouth you have, little Mina. Your mother gives you everything and you throw it back in her face and hurt her, hurt her. Every day you hurt her.”
Mina didn’t even look up to acknowledge him. He would whine greasily at her for a while, then perhaps he would lose interest and wander off again.
But he wasn’t interested in being ignored this time. He came over and lifted some of the dark hair resting on her shoulder, and rubbed it thoughtfully between his thumb and forefinger. “Twigs.” he explained, not convincingly.
“Leave me alone!” she snapped, yanking her neck sideways violently to escape his fondling grasp. He raised his hands defensively and chuckled.
“Ok, ok, don’t get into another snit. I don’t know what your problem is, little Mina, I really don’t. Your mother loves you more than anyone in this world. She’s inside that wagon right now, crying her eyes out. It’s true.”
It wasn’t true, she thought. He never asserted something was true unless he was lying.
“And yet you hurt her. A girl should be sweet and tender, especially to her mother.”
He wasn’t getting the hint. She rounded on him furiously. “She told me. She told me you want to marry me off to some tinker. For money! Don’t hand me this garbage about love! You two can’t WAIT to get rid of me!”
He chuckled again and settled down to sit on the ground in front of her. “Oh, come on, you know how she is. It’s not true. Yes, the last time Gresham came through he said you were growing up to be very pretty, but that was all. That’s hardly a marriage contract, is it? And what girl doesn’t like to be called pretty, hey? Your mother, ah, she’s so much like you. I think that’s why you two spat so much. Both stubborn, oh so stubborn. And when you get mad, you’ll say anything hurtful that you can, just on the spur of the moment. Haven’t I heard it enough from both of you? Not that I don’t usually deserve it.”
It was slimy, this insinuating charm and sleazy mawkishness. But it might be true this time. Part of herself was actually soothed by the thought that it all might have been invented as a threat. But she didn’t want to show him that his soothing words were having any effect. She was too proud to give him THAT satisfaction. She pulled her shift down to cover her knees better, pushed her hair back behind her ears and out of her face, and returned to her sewing, her face knitted into a tight, contemptuous snood.
“Ah, little Mina has been wronged. Alert the Kings of Far Brevoy, for Maidenhood has been Wronged.” He smiled at his cleverness. He loved to slip little lines of epic poems and songs that he knew into his conversation. It was the schtick that had trapped her mother in the first place. “But maybe you gave her some reason to be mad? Not doing your chores? Again? Running off to kiss boys in trees? Again? Put yourself in her place, little Mina. What’s a mother to do with a girl like you? Is it love to just let you run wild and do as your foolish childish heart pleases? Or is it love to try and try to mold you into a decent respectable girl? Of course you don’t like it. It’s always more fun to play. But you can’t be mad at her for trying.”
She saw an opening. “That’s rich coming from you. What do you do all day, Gallen? You hang around with your buddies talking all day. Sometimes you go off for a week or two at a time, leaving mom and I to fend for ourselves. Why are we living in a rotting leaky old gypsy wagon, Gallen? Shouldn’t you be earning enough money so you can support this loving little family of yours?”
He just smiled broader, showing his yellow teeth now. He looked like a weasel. It was maddening. “Now, when did little Mina become an expert in such things?” he trilled delightedly. “Little girl, I’m a minstrel. Spreading and learning news is what I do. If you know of a way to do that without talking to people, I’d like to hear it. And we keep the wagon because a traveling minstrel has to travel. And I go off for days at a time because it’s how I earn my keep. Your mother has no problem with how I earn my living. Why should you?” He settled back on his elbows, crossing his long legs in front of himself. “You’re just intent on being mad. Well, I can’t help that. But get it out of your system, then go apologize to your mother, or none of us will have any peace for the next week.”
She threw down her dress, and got up to start throwing linens into the wash-pot. “I’m busy with the laundry.” she snarled. He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled again. He shrugged and stood up. He went to her and pulled the strap of her shift up a little higher onto her shoulder. “You know, we don’t have to like each other, little Mina. We don’t even have to respect each other. But we do have to live together. Just ask yourself how much better things would be if you and your mother didn’t have my rotting leaky old gypsy wagon to live in, here in the middle of Varisia, hmm? If a man can’t have a little peace with his family, why even have a family?”
She stayed focused on stirring the linens in the boiling water, ignoring his greasy touch. He dropped little hints like this all the time; he liked to remind both Mina and her mother once in a while that he wasn’t strictly married to them and could legally drop them any time he pleased. Fortunately, having made his point, he strolled off, whistling.
She took a real breath now, and felt her face going hot with rage, and she rolled the stick violently through the water once more before levering out a bit of cloth onto the scrubbing stone. She picked up the soap and rubbed it furiously over the stained spots, then worked the fabric over the stone. The soap burned her skin. She could feel her hands already starting to get red and puffy. Pretty girl. I’ll pretty girl him. Like mom was pretty when he scooped her up and ran off with her, and I got dragged along for the ride. Not that she’s really pretty any more, pushing forty and living in a dark, dirty wagon, an itinerant peasant doing her best to make ends meet, telling fortunes on the side like an old witch. Wasted. All thrown away on this lost existence in a wasteland of clans and bandits. Alert the Kings of Far Brevoy. What did he or any of them know of Far Brevoy? Scrub Scrub.
She was sorry. She did love her mother. But she was furious with her mother for settling for all this. This man. This place. This life. This wasn’t supposed to be her mother’s life, so why did she have to come here? But it was too late for her mother. It wasn’t going to be too late for her.
*****
“I’m sorry mother. I’m a nasty little b&!%&.” She wrapped her mother in a hug, burying her face in her mother’s warm bosom. Her mother returned the hug and kissed the top of her head. “You’re the best thing in my world.” her mother said back quietly.
“Well, for a few months more anyway,” said Gallen from the corner as he worked to carve a piece of wood into a spoon. “Little Mina isn’t going to be the only little one around here soon.”
This hit Mina like a blow, and she spent a few seconds absorbing it before looking up into her mother’s face. Her mother smiled sadly and shrugged wordlessly. “Oh.” was all the girl could find to say.
*****
She was a jumble of emotions as she went to meet Braden. It never occurred to her that her mother might actually have a child with Gallen. It horrified her, but part of her wanted to stay and help the child. Protect it. But how long could she do that, before they actually DID marry her off to a tinker? And would her mother even still want her around, now that she had a new family to start? Her mother was too smart to let this sort of thing happen by accident. This was a ploy to keep him around, now that she was losing her looks. But what if it didn’t work? What if it drove him off?
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting here for an hour.” said Braden. “Did you get the money?”
Mina nodded and opened her hand, showing two silver pieces. He stared down at her hand in silent shock, then looked up at her, crestfallen.
“That’s it?”
She shrugged and nodded. “He’s not a rich man, Braden.” She paused, then decided to tell the whole truth. “I couldn’t just take it all. I took my share.”
“Your share?”
“I couldn’t just leave them with nothing. I don’t want them to starve. It’d be just like Gallen to use that as an excuse to leave her. Plus, my mom’s pregnant. I don’t know, it’s complicated. I couldn’t just take it all. I’m not a thief.”
“Oh, just your share of a thief.”
She glared at him angrily, and he immediately backed down. “All right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. You’re not a thief. I’m sorry, ok? It’s just… we’re not going to get very far on that. It’s going to take us weeks to get to Kintargo.”
“Weeks?” cried Mina in shock. “I thought it was only a few days away. How far is it?”
“I don’t know exactly,” admitted Braden. “But I know two silver pieces won’t be enough to get us there.” They stood for a moment in the moonlight, crickets and frogs chirping around them. “Maybe we should forget it?” he finally volunteered.
“No. I can’t go back. I’m leaving tonight. This place is a trap. If I stay here, I’ll end up just like her. Or worse.”
“We could just go another night, once we get our hands on some more money.”
“No! Tonight!” insisted Mina, strangely, because in her belly she felt just as unsure and scared as he obviously did. It was guilt about the money. Two lousy silver pieces or not, it had burned the bridge back to that wagon. She could never look at her mother again, even if they never knew. At least that’s how she felt right now. “I thought you loved me? Don’t you want to get married any more?”
“Of course I do. You know I do.”
“Then damn it, let’s just go! Maybe we won’t get to Kintargo right away. So what? At least we’ll be out of here. We’ll figure something out. There’s nothing we can’t do together.”
“OK, OK,” said Braden a bit defensively as he gathered up his pack. “Fine, let’s go. You have all your stuff?”
“Yup.” She showed him a bundle of possessions tied up in an old blanket.
“You want me to carry it?”
“No, I’ve got it. Are we really doing this?”
He grinned and shrugged. “I guess so.”
She hopped and giggled and kissed him on the cheek. “This is so crazy!”
“I know! It’s mad!” he said, now fully enthusiastic for the project. The kiss had stiffened his resolve. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they bounded off into the night.
They walked for a couple hours, then slept in a cave they had explored once that stood half a mile north of the road. Neither of them slept all that well, but they lay still and silent nonetheless. Mina was too excited. The fear and guilt were still there, but they were now balanced by exhilaration and love for this boy. She’d only known him for about three months, but he seemed perfect. He was sweet and brave and kind — here he was with her on this wild adventure that really had nothing to do with him. He was doing it all for her. How could she not love him for that? Was it fair to him, though? She manipulated him, she knew she did, she couldn’t help it. He just begged for it sometimes. But they made each other happy. They’d work it out as they grew old together. Wherever they ended up. Would it be Kintargo? Maybe Magnimar? Maybe they’d set sail for Absalom or Garund? Maybe Far Brevoy? Maybe all of them. It was marvelous. It didn’t frighten her at all. She just knew that it would work out. So what if they didn’t have money? They’d drink water from streams, they could eat honey and berries and snare rabbits. Maybe work a day here and there in a farmer’s field to earn some bread and soup. She worried a little about her feet. Her shoes were just thin-soled slippers, not meant for long marches, and her feet were already sore. But they’d toughen up with time, and she could always get better shoes, somehow. And now that they were actually underway, and now that she knew there was no turning back, the freedom was just delicious. Her life was finally her own.
The next day it began to rain. They sat in the cave for a few hours after dawn, waiting for the rain to stop and relaxing, eating up much of their remaining food, but finally they decided to strike out. Within 10 minutes they were soaked to the skin and shivering. Their bundles doubled in weight and the road turned to mud. They spoke very little, but though things felt gloomy and the drudgery soaked into their weary muscles, their spirits remained intact. This was part of the adventure, and neither of them was inclined to give in yet. After noon and a brief halt under a broad oak that gave them some shelter, their spirits lifted again in spite of the rain, and they found themselves jabbering about everything that came into their minds, and laughing at the ridiculousness of their situation. It was all so foolish, but it was still marvelous. As darkness began to fall, they came to a rundown single-story building alone at a meager crossroads. Smoke was coming from the chimney, and a clapboard hung over the door, advertising it as an inn of some sort, though the paint was long since flaked away by the elements. Hopefully, they approached, noting several horses tied up under a primitive lean-to shelter off to the side of the building.
Pushing open the door, the only light was cast by dismal fire on the far side of the room. The air was heavy and rank with the smell of sweat and drink. They could sense many others inside, but could only make out shadows and shapes.
“Well, in or out.” came a distinctly unfriendly voice from somewhere in the room.
“We’re looking for shelter and a meal,” said Braden, trying to sound brave. “We’re travelers bound for Kintargo.” Their eyes slowly accustomed to the meager light, and they could see four men sitting about a table playing dice, and three others standing near a primitive bar made up of three barrels and a board, with another barrel tapped behind them, with drips of ale plopping into a wooden cup. The man standing behind the bar stepped out and approached them.
“How old are you sonny? And who’s this, your sister?”
“I’m eighteen, if you want to know. And this is Mina, my betrothed. We have money.”
The man just looked at him for a long time. There were snickers behind him from the other men, and the four men playing dice had stopped their game to look as well. The man glanced back toward the door, then up at the ceiling, where the rustle of rain in the thatch could be heard, then nodded.
“2 coppers apiece for sleeping space here in the common room, and another copper apiece for grub. For a silver, you can sleep private?” The man looked at Braden intently. Braden thought, looked at Mina, then nodded. “The common room will do fine.”
They went and sat by the fire, and were soon provided with day-old bread, a bowl of some sort of thin meaty stew, and cups of watery ale. To their rumbling stomachs it tasted like heaven, and they tucked in hungrily, delighting in the hiss of steam coming off their dripping clothes as they sat in front of the fire. One of the men at the dice table, the one back in the corner, farthest away, spoke to them.
“Kintargo eh? What takes ye there?”
Braden was beginning to relax now. “I have an uncle there. I’m going to try and get work so we can settle down there.”
“You got a long walk ahead of you. Kintargo on foot? Ooh, that’ll take you five, maybe six weeks.”
Braden tried not to look shocked. “We’ll manage.”
The men at the table looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. Mina could see now that one of them was a dwarf, sitting still as a stone and watching her intently, the firelight reflecting in his eyes. She looked away quickly. There was something dead and cold about the way he looked at her that made her suddenly feel frightened. She pulled her wet cloak more tightly about her shoulders and drank her ale, wincing a little at the sting of alcohol.
“Your girl likes her ale.” said the man in the corner. The two men at the bar laughed, perhaps at some private joke whispered between them. “But she doesn’t talk much. Isn’t she friendly?”
“Please, we’ve had a long day. We’re just tired. We don’t mean any disrespect.”
“Doesn’t mean a girl can’t be friendly.” said the man in the corner. The dwarf lit a pipe and settled back, still watching them with his dead eyes.
“I’m friendly enough, to people I know,” spouted Mina suddenly, a bit lamely. She immediately regretted speaking as unfriendly laughter came from the men around her. She grabbed Braden’s hand and looked back toward the exit.
“Well said Mina. It was Mina, wasn’t it? That’s a Varisian word, you know, right? Means Kitten. Is that you, Mina? A little-standoffish at first, but soon enough rubbing against the leg of every fellow in the room?” More laughter. She stiffened and looked down again. Braden stood up abruptly.
“Leave her alone!” he said. “Just leave us both in peace.” He looked back toward the innkeeper. He had his back to the room, behind his bar, aimlessly sweeping dirt around. The man in the corner stood up as well, and the two other men sitting with him turned now to face them. The dwarf didn’t move.
“Uh oh, looks like I’m being bothersome again boys,” said the man in the corner, his mouth pulling open into a chilling smile, a gold tooth glinting in the firelight. “But you see boy, this is sort of our place, and we like to know something about the folks who pass through here. For news and such, but also, just to find out what sort of folk they are. There’s a lot of bad people out on these roads. Bandits and such. Can’t be too careful, can you?”
“We should go.” whispered Mina to Braden, but it was too late. The two men behind them at the bar grabbed them. They struggled until the gold-toothed man in the corner pulled out a knife and stepped out toward them, holding it easily in his fingers, letting the point drift back forth between Mina and Braden. They stopped struggling. Their cloaks were pulled off, and they stood there in their thin soaked clothes. Goldtooth looked down at Mina’s chest, then touched the tip of his dagger to where a firm spot poked out tautly, then glanced around behind him to the other men at the table, who laughed wickedly. The dwarf still had not moved. Now Mina looked at the dwarf again, as he stared at her with his dead eyes. Suddenly he seemed like her only chance. He wasn’t one of them, was he? Maybe he would save them. He seemed to read her look. He took the pipe from his mouth just long enough to spit on the floor, then resumed his cold, ugly vigil.
“Maybe she’s more friendly than she lets on. Feeling a little excited, my Kitten? Feel like purring for me?” said Goldtooth. The point of his dagger traced lightly about her nipple. She was now trembling with terror.
“He’s going to rape me. Gods in heaven, he’s going to rape me. I’m going to be raped.” she thought to herself in freezing panic. Her eyes darted wildly around the room now, looking for any escape. For a moment, she looked to Braden, who was looking at her strangely. He read her panic, then suddenly gave a wild heave, trying to break loose from the man holding him. Almost immediately he was clubbed hard over the head with something, and fell limp to the ground.
“Braden!!” she screamed. Goldtooth punched her in the mouth. Her mouth filled with blood instantly. Then it began to happen very quickly. A broad hairy hand grabbed her dress at the collar and ripped down and away, tearing away most of her clothing. She was now screaming and struggling with panic, so he hit her again, even harder.
“Desna’s knickers, look at these feeble little things,” scoffed Goldtooth as he poked a finger roughly at her small breasts. “Eighteen my ass. How old are you girl? Thirteen? Fourteen?”
“Let me go!!” she screeched, still struggling wildly. The innkeeper slipped outside. The dwarf still stared. The other men were now gathered in a circle around her. Braden lay groaning and half-conscious on the ground. Goldtooth grabbed her now by the neck with one hand, bringing a finger up to his lips in a ‘shh’ sign. The hand choked her. She forgot about screaming and now just focused on trying to get breath. Now she didn’t care that she was naked and helpless, she just didn’t want to die. She went limp. The rest of her clothes were ripped off and thrown to the ground. Goldtooth began to loosen his breeches with his free hand. Mina shut her eyes tightly and began to snivel as tears poured from her eyes and nose and she continued trying to gasp for breath. She felt herself being thrown to the ground. The hand was finally off her throat. She coughed hard and grabbed at her neck protectively.
“Flip her over, I don’t want to look at her face you idiots!’ snarled Goldtooth. Multiple hands rolled her over roughly, and before she was even let loose again, she could feel him pushing into her, tearing into her, rough and dry and hard. He smelled of hard, old sweat, like a nasty cheese. She squealed like an animal and could immediately feel herself starting to bleed.
“This is rape. I’m being raped. They’re going to rape me and kill me. Gods, it hurts so much!” raced her mind as the sensations flooded her. Shame and disgust quickly overwhelmed the pain. The helplessness. Even if she could get free, where could she run? She was naked and alone in a wilderness surrounded by men who were bigger, stronger and faster than her.
“Our kitten can purr after all!” exulted Goldtooth as he continued ramming himself at her ruthlessly.
“Sixteen… I’m sixteen…” she tried to say dazedly through her broken mouth, but it just came out as an ugly slushing sound, and blood pooled on the hard floor under her lips. Then suddenly it hurt a lot more, and then he was gone and out of her. He stood, leaving her in a puddle before him.
“Well, don’t just stand there, got it while it’s hot,” he said to the other men.
“Ahh, I can’t boss, it’d be like f%@@in’ a boy. She’s too skinny. I like to fondle their t##~ while I do it.”
“Well, stand aside then, some of us ain’t so picky. Aw cripes, she’s bleeding everywhere…”
Her mind didn’t exactly shut down, but it moved away and seemed to float on the ceiling, and she found herself just waiting for it to be over. There was no point in fighting any more. It still hurt, and the pain got worse the longer it went on, but the emotions just became lost somewhere in the humiliation. After the fourth man, they left her and threw a blanket over her, like they would cover a stain on the floor. She didn’t dare move. She found herself wondering if they’d forgotten to kill her, or if they just planned to rest up, then start again. Maybe if she stayed perfectly still, they’d forget about her. She fell into an exhausted dreamless sleep.
When she awoke it was quiet. It hurt to move, but she risked pulling back the edge of the blanket and looking around. Sunlight was filtering in the window. The room was deserted except for Braden, who still lay on the floor beside her, with an ugly bloody gash across his right temple. With an effort, she pulled herself to a sitting position, wrapping the blanket about herself tightly. Their possesions had been rummaged. Their money and food was gone, as were most of their things. She had no other dress in her bundle. Slowly, achingly, she fingered through Braden’s things and pulled out some breeches and a shirt and pulled them on. Her lips scrunched up in disgust as she looked at her legs and arms, which were a collage of nasty, ugly bruises. Her mouth felt swollen, and she thought one of her eyes might be partly shut. And it hurt to stand. Her belly felt like it had been punched hard. She realized that she had urinated on the floor while she was unconscious. It was still spreading along the floor, so it must have just happened. She went to the window and peeked outside. No one. She opened the door and cautiously circled the building. The horses were gone. There was no sign of the innkeeper, if he’d even been an innkeeper. She started to think that maybe this place had never been anything but a bandit hideout from the start. There was a well. She drew up some water. She found a rag, and began to daub at her face with cold water. It helped a little. The sun seemed too bright, and there were halos in her vision.
After a while Braden stumbled out back and found her. For a moment they just stood silently next to each other, not knowing what to say, then he went to hug her. She pulled away from his touch. He looked defeated and miserable.
“Oh Mina… I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t.” he finally said in a weak voice.
“I couldn’t either. It’s not your fault.” she said in a ghostly voice, feeling suddenly angry that she had to comfort him.
“We should go home.”
She looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t even gotten around to thinking what they should do now, alone on the road with no money or food. She was still getting used to the idea that she wasn’t dead and she wasn’t a prisoner. The memories were starting to ricochet back at her now harder and harder, the longer she was awake and the longer she stood here warming in the sun, a cool cloth on her face. She thought, then sat down on the well.
“I can’t.” she said thickly. She winced; it hurt to talk. Her throat was sore. Probably from her screaming. “I’ve got nothing to go back to.”
“We’ll never make it to Kintargo. We’ll just die out here.” He was beginning to sound desperate. She sighed, she knew what she had to do.
“Well, we need to get away from here while we can, at least,” she said. He wobbled and started to fall. She moved to catch him. “My head is killing me.” he said.
She sat him down, then went over to the back of the inn and climbed the chimney. From the thatched roof, she took in a quick lay of the land. It was probably already nearly midday. To the south, perhaps a mile off, she could see what looked like another building, maybe a farm. She jumped back down.
“Can you walk for a bit? I see another building. It might be a barn. Maybe we can hide out in there and rest up a little.”
He was too queasy and stunned to argue. They gathered up what little they had left and made their way south across the fields. It did indeed turn out to be a barn. She helped Braden inside, and got him up into the hayloft. He was soon asleep again.
She couldn’t go back. But could she go forward? Braden was a lost cause now, he’d never agree to go on, but he would never allow himself to leave her. He already was consumed with guilt for letting her get hurt. So what… leave him? And go where? Still Kintargo? Dejectedly, she realized she had no idea where any cities might be. She had no clear idea precisely where she was, except somewhere smack in the middle of Varisia. But it came to her suddenly where she wanted to go.
Cassomir. She wanted to go find her father and brothers.
But how? How would she get there? And even if she did, it had been six years. Would they even still be there?
Why couldn’t she go back? Of course, she felt humiliated and stupid and guilty for running off so foolishly, and Gallen would rub her face in it. But at least her mother still loved her. Lost and unhappy as she was, she was still Mina’s mother. She’d take her back. But then what? She couldn’t be married now, now that … this had happened. Could she? What was she going to do with her life? Be a spinster, hanging about to do the chores, while her mother and Gallen raised their new, untainted child? But at least she’d be safe.
It had never occurred to her before how important that was. Just to be safe. Just to not have to worry about being killed or beaten.
But no, she just couldn’t do it. She didn’t think she could ever look her mother in the face again. She felt so dirty and wicked and dumb and ashamed. She didn’t deserve to just go back to the life she’d had. It was like a glass door had closed behind her somehow. She could still see that life, but the way back to it was just closed off forever. Maybe someday she’d be able to apologize and make it up. But a lot of things needed to happen before she could get to that point. And she didn’t even know what they were.
So… forward? Alone? With nothing?
Yes. Forward. Alone. With nothing.
“Desna, you owe me,” she said quietly to the ceiling of the barn.
She caressed Braden’s brow and kissed him lightly on the forehead, then she climbed down out of the hayloft and began to walk west, looking straight ahead like a sleepwalker.
Holy cow Quasit, 16 screens worth of text. You are a great writer, but maybe spoiler tag into segments for quicker navigation.
Wait a minute, even if the troll succeeded on his attack, surely he'd only put the girl into dying negative hp? He'd need to do a lot of dmg to kill outright (about 9% chance using default stats with a single attack) and a coup de grace is not really an option as it takes a full round action and with all the readied and sneaky stuff, at least it's my impression he'd not complete a full round action (which can't be readied, and would be needed for either multiple attacks or a coup de grace attempt), and Selena could certainly Stabilize the child via magic if needed. Am I missing something?
Here's what you could be missing...were I to speculate.
Young template knocks off 2 HP per HD. There's a couple kid npc stat blocks on SRD the weakest one has 1hp and a 6 con. Both the Ice troll and trollhound could've had readied actions. The kids if they're treated poorly could've already been damaged somewhat as well.
Ice troll is 2d6+4 with his axe min damage 6 average 11. Trollhound is 1d10+6 min damage 7 average 11. Added up the minimum is 13 so depending on the kid maybe and the average 22 is more than enough to kill a 1HD commoner adult outright.
Really bleak moment, but I can see good meta justification as well as narrative one. It'll make for good role-playing at the least.
The children are indeed 1 HD commoners and had been very neglected in addition to being mistreated. As Tezuzu surmised and was implied in the description both the ice troll and the troll hound had readied actions, with the hounds attack being on a prone unconscious target. There is still the opportunity to save the child's body for future possibilities.
I agree on it being more interesting and good fodder for interesting role-play.
On the meta Tez will gain access to reincarnate at level 9 and raise dead at level 12. Supposing I don’t take another level of monk. So unless we find a scroll or a friendly caster between then we will probably have a bit of time till then. Thankfully gentle repose exists and lasts days per casting the only social hurdle might be convincing the party to stuff the kids body into the bag of holding for easier transport....probably an awkward conversation to say the least.
Odd, both my last posts seem to have been eaten. And you guys have been busy.
I had not thought about the young template and all the effects of that, and the hound seemed like an odd action for it to take.
Also, Tezuzu, you really only need a piece if the child to rez her, or reincarnate more likely. I think only raise dead requires the whole corpse. This is why Selena has a necklace of hair, it's the hair of her mentor that she hopes to rez at some point.
I remember a game where the elf ranger (feeling very clever) cut off his toe and presented it to the parties cleric declaring now he could be resurrected even if they couldn't recover his body...
...the Cleric of Pelor looked at him confused and with a hint of horror before explaining the body part needed to be from the targets corpse, so removing body parts beforehand was pointless as well as painful.
Also, Tezuzu, you really only need a piece if the child to rez her, or reincarnate more likely. I think only raise dead requires the whole corpse. This is why Selena has a necklace of hair, it's the hair of her mentor that she hopes to rez at some point.
Oh I know, it’s unfortunate he will get reincarnate before raise dead. He doesn’t really know that or the precise specifics of the spells; even if I do, so he will assume he needs a body since it’s the safe assumption.
However for the same reason he was excited to get his hands on those polished skulls if we ever have an abundance of downtime he is going to spend at least some of it using speak with dead rather liberally. So if it ever comes to deciding to reincarnate or waiting for raise dead he will probably just ask the kid flat out.
For him the polished skulls are like little libraries of lifetimes of knowledge cloaked in mystery. A set of mysteries he intends to unwind week by week through various castings and note taking.
Oh and if we ever get a chance to off Nazhena he has special plans for her body. As menacing as that sounds it’s going to be cool, trust me.
*rubs hands together menacingly*
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"Now Fin, quickly transfer the arrow from the quiver to your right hand, nock it and draw it as you bring it up to your cheek, just right of your mouth...keep your eye on the target, take a breath and, as you release your breath, release the arrow as well..."
The Elf boy does as he's told and the arrow speeds swiftly to its target, striking it with a loud thunk. "I hit it, Father!"
The larger Elf smiles widely at the boy, encouraging him while also offering correction. "Yes son, you did very well...but notice how your arrow is just a little off-center? Just remember to let you breath out normally and not rush it...and remember, aim small, miss small..."
===============================================================
The younger Elf eyes got large at the riches found within the chest, deep within the pyramid...
His father smiled at the boy, saying, "Remember Fin, this is not just for us...this is for all of our people. We will get a cut, but our purpose to explore ruins to learn more about the land and culture we live in, in addition to making a living for our people and our family. You will get a share too...I might not be here had you not put an arrow in that zombie's eye...your skill with a bow may soon surpass mine..."
Later, on their entering the oasis with their find, they were welcomed as heroes...Fin looked up proudly at his Father, who returned the look...
================================================================
The young Elf awoke, bruised and battered...it took his eyes a bit to adjust...he found himself in a pit...how long he had been out, he knew not. He managed to climb out with much effort, into the tomb above, tears streaming down his eyes as the memories came back and he knew what he would find there...
Pulling himself to the top, he looks by the now empty tomb, seeing the corpse lying beside it; the mummy had ripped out his father's throat as soon as the tomb had been opened. Fin had fired an arrow in anger at point blank range...while it struck the abomination through the eye, it didn't seem to harm it all, as it backhanded the young Elf and sent him sprawling 10' back and into the pit. Apparently the pit had saved Fin's life; he guessed the mummy didn't care to follow after, but instead must've fled the tomb to its freedom. Grunting with effort, he gets into position and lifts his fathers body over his shoulder, carrying him back to the oasis...
=================================================================
"But Mother, why do we have to leave the oasis? I know the others blame me for his death, but I want to stay here and avenge Father! And prove myself to them..."
The Elf lady looks up to her son, smiling sadly. "He would've been proud to hear you say that...but at the same time, I know he would not wish it. It was not your fault, Fin; your Father loved adventure but he took too many risks. It finally caught up to him...he would not want you to make the same mistake..."
She looks to the setting sun wistfully. "The Elves here can be harsh; they live in a harsh land. Yes they may blame you, but they blame me more...you father loved me but his family never approved. I was just a mere Wood Elf to them...we have no future here, so we'll go back to where I was born, Kyonin, in the Fierani forest..."
Fin looks down in shame. "Yes, Mother..."
Wow Maka, I never really thought of "presence or absence" as not including at least a general location if not pinpointed. I had always interpreted it as round 1 where and what has magic, round 2 how many magic auras each thing has round three strength of the auras and spellcraft for id.
I had missed that location is referenced in the third round (though in my games I figure on interpreting that as pinpointing location such as when looking at a creature, noting which objects they carry have which aura).
Interestingly, it seems that detect magic can go through walls but only for noting strength and location.
The only real saving grace here is the vagueness of one question, do we get to study a particular area within the spell's cone or is it required that studying an area must mean the whole cone? For example, can one study a single bookcase for magic auras and determine the first round whether magic auras are on the bookcase/contents or not, then check the next bookcase the next round? Similarly, could one focus on a 10' cube for magic auras? The spell notes studying an area and anywhere else it basically means the area the player defines that they are studying so this part could go either way in be within the rules, though being able to check a particular area on round one instead of the whole cone marginally increases usefulness when time a factor, like combat
Thinking back, I don't think I've ever seen this played this way. The few times I've seen someone try detect magic in combat, they were told whether any enemies had magic and whether it was their weapons, armor, something else, then told they couldn't identify it without 3 rounds of study. I'm not certain but didn't that actually happen at the last tower?
Edit: Yep, earlier in the witch's tower I used detect magic and was told all enemies has magic weapons and which enemy had both magic weapon and magic armor all on first round.
Kinda funny how much the rules don't get followed by a large number of folks without knowing it.
I’m not going to complain if Selena can pinpoint an invisible creature with detect magic, but it is good looking out to point out how it might work. Rules can vary table to table GM to GM. Supposing the witch went invisible and didn’t teleport away or something. I mean technically speaking everyone still gets perception checks vs stealth to know where the witch is, but that’s pretty tedious and invisibility confers such a high bonus that it’s unlikely or impossible to pass that check anyways so streamlining things makes sense.
In all honesty if it’s invisibility she probably won’t really be invisible for long if she isn’t attempting an escape it’ll probably only be up for a round or two for buffs or summons before she attacks one of us and breaks the invisibility.
We have a couple ways to deal with it in the meantime or if she’s attempting an escape. Two familiars with scent and I know Maka has see invisibility as a spell. What I’m mostly worried about are witch spells like bestow curse and blindness/deafness as we have pretty much zero way since nobody has access to dispel magic, remove curse, or remove blindness/deafness to really deal with them. Deafness being probably the worst role play wise since getting hit with it just flat out would hamper a characters ability to role play communication wise and on a pbp that could last weeks.
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Well if everyone else is going to do it.
Zhen Na’shota walked through the lush woods outside the monastery which he called home. A mountain of muscles, the initial reaction most would have to the half-orc would be fear were it not for the serene way in which he carried himself. He moved through the woods silently, undisturbing the animals and elementals which hovered about in agitation. Likely to do with the scorch marks on several trees. He shook his head with a sigh. Though he no longer feared his adoptive daughter setting accidental fires, her tendency to take her frustrations out on the people and things around her remained a problem.
“At least she’s easy to find.” Zhen thought to himself as he remembered the difficulty of tracking down the monastery’s other resident trouble maker, Admani. The Duergar’s skill at stealth and ability to turn invisible often meant one of the masters needed to get involved. Sure enough, he came across Maka after a few more minutes of walking. Her form balled up in front of a small fire she had built. Not that she needed warmth in the balmy weather, but Maka had always found comfort in her element.
”Didn’t run too far this time eggshell?” Zhen’s baritone voice announced himself, sending his daughter bolting to an upright position. The tell-tale puffs of steam which quickly rose and dispersed told him she had been crying. ”Would you like to tell me what happened?”
”Nothing happened!” Maka yelled as she spun around and stomped her foot on the ground, sending up a puff of fire as she did so.
”Nothing? Then why are you out here?” Zhen responded calmly.
”I just didn’t want to be around the stupid heads anymore!” Tears began to well in Maka’s eyes again, causing her to furiously rub them.
”Is that all?” Zhen looked down at her small form with a frown. ”Well, not so small anymore.” Zhen reminded himself. Though she was still quite small in comparison to him, Maka had quickly grown taller than the other students near her age. Nearly two decades of meditation on the meaning of time and the inevitability of death hadn’t offered him half the perspective that watching his daughter grow had.
”Well, and Suji I were sparring and I won and then she called me a stupid wild child!”
”And?”
”And...then I burned her.” Maka looked down in shame at her admission.
With a sigh Zhen scooped his daughter up in his arms and sat on the ground. ”You know that wasn’t right.”
”I know…” Maka meekly replied.
”How did you feel after you burned her? Did you feel better about being called a stupid wild child?”
”No, it made my stomach hurt.”
Zhen smiled at his daughter. Though she certainly had some wildness to her, she had a kind heart. ”Because you are a good girl, doing bad things makes you feel bad. So lashing out, hurting someone else, even the person who hurt you first, didn’t make you feel better. What would make you feel better?”
Maka twisted and turned some as she thought on the question. ”If she hadn’t called me a mean name.”
His daughter’s answer brought a chuckle from Zhen. Children had a way of finding very direct, if unreasonable, solutions to their problems. ”Well that might be nice, but unless you know a powerful Chronomancer that would be very difficult. Would there be something that would make you feel better even though it still happened.”
Maka harrumphed at her father’s rejection of her very good idea, but gave the matter some more thought. ”If she said she was sorry?”
”Okay, that would be nice wouldn’t it? And what do you think you could do to make things better?”
”Ummm say I’m sorry for burning Suji?”
”That is a very smart idea. It would make me feel better if I was burned.”
”Then that’s what I’ll do!” Maka said with excitement. Jumping up, she hugged her father tightly before taking off towards the monastery.
”Eggshell.” Zhen said sternly as he pointed to the small fire.
Stopping so abroughtly that she fell over, Maka quickly ran back over and stomped out the fire. ”Sorry dad!” she yelled before taking off running again.
Sorry, I'm not feeling well today. If Q doesn't mind botting me for a day or so. I'm not really up for reading where we are right now.
Glad you enjoyed it. 'Eggshell' is his pet nickname for her because he has dad jokes about finding her in a giant egg. Suji was also just a kid lashing out in anger. Admani is usually found when he wants to be or one of the masters finally gets involved. His secret is he digs tunnels under the monastery. I'll have to think up a birds and the bees talk.
@Selena Not sure if you've seen the gameplay thread yet. Please update us on your ho when you can.
We'll keep moving otherwise and figure out the rest when we can.
Well, I was feeling better. :)
Unless I missed something somewhere, HP was supposed to be avg after 1st level, and that unfortunately means 27 hp. I'd be happy to roll instead, 50% chance of getting higher hp and only 2 more are needed to survive.
That said, it was partly my fault, I forgot all about the buying of new equipment, though I did pick up and was weilding one of the longswords from the statues so those weapon attacks Selena made would've dealt more dmg than a dagger, possibly stopping the oven sooner. Or not, I don't think I'm actually proficient with it.
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A single use, use activated item of the reincarnate spell (as made by a witch, a druid caster would be "cheaper" but probably harder to find around here) would be 4500gp (2800gp druid version, could've easily bought two of this version). Since I never got around to spending my gold, we can always say that comissioning such an item (and attached to Winter's collar) is why I didn't have much in the way of other items. Then Winter uses it on me. Actually, it fits quite well with Selena's boast earlier about not fearing death. Heck, I could get it and still have two runes of power forextra spell slots.
Alternately, I can continue playing as Winter, seeking to reincarnate Selena once again, which should be somewhat easy at this point if we can find a 9th level friendly-ish witch (or 7th lvl druid) willing to do the work, spellcasting services would cost 450gp (280gp for druid version) for a single casting of reincarnate.
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What is the ruling for Dimensional Slide while grappled? I mean, in general I wouldn't always allow it but I doubt the inside of the oven had anything to hold on to me with and even if it did, would it bother given it has no idea that I could blink from one place to another? (Might be handy to know if I get swallowed again)
Also, pretty sure drawing a wand is as easy as drawing a weapon, unless it's packed away like an item. Knowing the ruling on this would also be handy.
Thank you for the clarification on the hp.
I was realizing earlier that Selena would have actually been safer in the oven as the amount of damage would have been less and it couldn't crit. Ironic.
I could see Dimensional Slide as a way to prevent the grapple, but once grappled no movement is permitted. My reading is that Dimensional Slide is considered movement. The issue with Dimensional Slide prior to the grapple is that in this case the Oven construct had a reach of 10 feet so Selena would have still been within reach.
Agreed, drawing the wand is fine. The issue in this case was the amount of damage had already killed Selena.
I think the plan to play Winter makes sense. Further, if you'd like to retcon the collar with reincarnate that is fine by me. This is also in line with the special item conversation we spoke about by PM.
I will leave that decision to Selena. Feel free to narrate Winter's actions if you decide to go the reincarnate route whether now as combat has ended or to play Winter until later when the party procures spell services after the fact.
-How long away is Solveig?
-Near as I can see from spell description, reincarnate takes 10 minutes, not hours. Your houserule?
-I figure that Winter will go back there to rez Selena "as planned," and if quick enough Selena may try to catch up to the group for the later battles of the tower.
-How much is the reincarnate items costing? The witch price or the druid price? If the latter, I'll take two of them, which leaves an extra should someone else die.
@Selena the spell takes 10 minutes to cast but the new body isn't ready until an hour after casting.
The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand. This process takes 1 hour to complete. When the body is ready, the subject is reincarnated.
Yeah give us a d100 roll so we can see what body you'll be rocking. And joining up after the fireworks seems a good spot to me as well. Were we going to have time to rest after all this or did we need to head straight to the market?
Fun stuff, glad to be a firebender.
@Selena the spell takes 10 minutes to cast but the new body isn't ready until an hour after casting.
The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand. This process takes 1 hour to complete. When the body is ready, the subject is reincarnated.
Not sure how I missed it when I was specifically looking for it, but I did.
The plan is that once we set off the fireworks, the Iron Guard attacks the Winter Guard, which gives us a brief window to slip into the Forest Square where the Hut is. So no, no rest for the wicked.
From my own OOC experience playing this book before I recall that the Iron Guard Coup throws the city into chaos, but the window is a few days not hours. I don't think the writers of the AP would throw everything in a dragons clocktower and the horribleness that awaits us at the Hut without giving an evening of rest.
But that's up to the GM to decide on if Solvieg informs us we have time to rest or not really. Plus it would be nice to level.
you know, you might come back as a badger or a kobold. Better not get ahead of yourself. :)
Personally hoping for winter wolf. It'd fit oh so well. Human -> human/wolf -> wolf. :)
Yes, there will be a pause after the tower and a level for everyone. Very much anticipating the d100. So ripe for RP opportunities.
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Good luck with the reincarnation, Selena...hope you get the winter wolf...
I was thinking along the same lines as Quasit...thought the purpose of the fireworks was to signal the rebels in addition to causing a distraction to allow us to slip into the guarded area around the hut...though I was thinking we might could catch our breath for just a little while, providing we kill the dragon, before we actually set off the fireworks...
ETA: Ninja'ed by the GM! Cool, a level up would be nice indeed...
Very much anticipating the d100. So ripe for RP opportunities.
You planning on using the offical table? Or the unofficial table? I am very much partial to the unofficial table.
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The AP is a bit xenophobic so I'm leaning toward the official table and even then may take some liberties in letting Selena pick around where the roll ends up.
Noooooooo!
Wait, it's cheaper than that. I was thinking the creation table gave the crafting cost and so I doubled it, but actually it gives the base market price, you'd halve it for the crafting cost. So actually the costs above are for two items.
Also, GM I have an alternate rule I'd like your opinion on. Nothing to do with this game, just as a fellow gm.
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On the reincarnate items you really have two options: Single use, Spell-Completion. Or Single use, use-activated.
Spell-Completion (i.e. A scroll) = 1700gp
Use-Activated (i.e. A potion/oil) = 2400gp
If you opt for a scroll Tez can activate it. It would require a CL check of 8. So anything other than roll of a 1 and he passes; is very unlikely to create a scroll mishap should he fail.
Alternatively this item exists and is 100gp cheaper than the scroll and is use activated. Depending on the moon you get two d100 rolls instead of 1.
Once I level I shall have wondering hex up and running and thus life link most days with 5 spots open for it. Should help us avoid a similar problem.